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RECAP: Kansas State rolls OSU 89-73

Coming off an incredibly impressive drubbing of then 3rd-ranked Kansas, Oklahoma State failed to capitalize on the momentum of a potentially season-altering win.

By Cade Webb
Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Well... That was something.

After an impressive performance on Tuesday, OSU fans probably had reason to feel optimistic about the team's trip to Manhattan on Saturday. KSU lacked, at least before the game, a true scorer, and OSU figured to be able to take advantage of that. All optimism was quickly lost, however. Kansas State shot a blistering 61 percent from the field in the first half, while holding Oklahoma State to 30 percent. KSU led OSU 49-30 at the half.

The second half was more of the first, with the exception of better second half shooting from OSU. KSU did not cool off after the half, which was probably OSU's only shot of mounting a monstrous comeback. The Cowboys shooting percentage climbed to 41 percent on the game, but also allowed KSU to score 89 points, the most they have allowed all season.

Tyree Griffin was one of the lone bright spots for the team, and led all Oklahoma State scorers with 18 points on the night.

My thoughts on the game:

  • K-State's man defense made OSU look lost. OSU shot an abysmal 30 percent from the field and turned the ball over 11 times in the first half.
  • OSU goes as Jawun Evans goes. That’s a good and bad thing. He is crazy good for a freshman and is the leader of the team, but are we really at the point where we are relying on a pass-first freshman point guard to create all of our offense?
  • Anthony Allen did this, and it was hilarious:
  • OSU has had trouble rebounding, and that's no secret. At one point, a shot went up from KSU, and Chris Olivier had his back to the basket the entire time. That is probably the opposite of what you would want from a 6’9" center.
  • How badly does OSU need a guy like Markel Brown? Jawun Evans is a star, but he is a pass first PG. OSU’s best option on the offensive end was Tyree Griffin. Griffin plays hard and is a solid player, but you need to find more contributors if you want any hope of pulling off a conference win on the road.
  • Speaking of Tyree Griffin, he had an excellent game given the circumstances. Griffin finished with 18 (!!!) points and 5 assists. He also had this rejection:
  • OSU’s offense in the first half reminded me of my YMCA rec team my senior year of high school. It was a bunch of friends who didn’t play for the school, and we had literally no set plays. We just ran around and jacked up 3's. We won plenty of games because we were just better shooters than everyone else. Sadly, that's not the case with OSU.
  • OSU was only down single digits for a five-minute stretch in the first half, and it felt like an insurmountable deficit given how the game had gone to that point. The Cowboys really struggled to get off many good looks, but credit that to Kansas State's half court defense.
  • I wish I had enough fingers to count how many times OSU passed up an open shot for a contested one. And no, I don't "do math" on my fingers.
  • Kansas State was in the bonus with 16:44 left in the second half. First off, how is that even possible? Second, that’s either really bad defense, or REALLY poor officiating.
  • Around the halfway mark of the 2nd half, I felt like trudging up to my room and blaring Nirvana’s "In Utero" for the rest of the night. I was that sad. Not mad, just sad.
  • I think the fact that OSU came off a blowout win over the third-ranked team in the country made this more infuriating. Ford must have unloaded all of his victory chips on beating KU, because I have no idea how else Tuesday's win happened.
  • Davon Dillard played today, and flushed an alley-oop. Just when you thought this game couldn’t get any weirder…
  • The officiating, on the surface, appeared to benefit Kansas State. However, the foul differential was only five. Oklahoma State was tacked with 25 fouls, while KSU had 20. That's one excuse we can toss in the fire. This still wasn't very good, though:
  • Every home game from here on out is a must-win. OSU has showed fight at home, taking OU to the wire, and blowing out KU. Defend the home court, and there's reason for optimism heading into next season.
Up Next: Baylor, Wednesday 1/27. 8 P.M. CST, ESPNU.

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